Ella of Tameran
by AJandtheVoicesInMyHead
Summary: I'm not a princess. There's nothing special about me. But why does nobody else seem to get that? My name it Ella Anderson, and I really wish I could figure out what's going on here.
1. Prologue

**Hey all! **

**Summery: Ella is a simple high school girl, who just wants to help her uncle and fool around with her friend Art. But when a trip into the abandoned Tower at the edge of the city starts to show new details of her deceased parents' past, her life becomes anything but simple. **

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own them. So stop calling me. _

Prologue 

The ship was as large a one as the general could find. It was a Gordanian prison ship, the greatest in the fleet. It could have held entire populations within its cells. It should seem only fitting.

But it was not what she needed.

"Surely Mistress, you must have such to show your great power. You will need such authority to complete your mission."

Under most circumstances, she would have taken this ship without question. She absolutely loved great, lavish things. She was rarely seen without some mark of her position. It was unlike her to deny herself such a luxury.

But it was not what she needed, not this time.

"My authority will only hold me back from this particular mission. It's been my authority that has held me back from it for so long."

She turned to look at the general.

"You should know this."

"But you will need a cell…"

"The door would not hold. No. I must do this my way."

The general sighed. So she had wished it, so would it be.

"Very well. Perhaps you would rather take the trooper?"

She looked at the little two-man ship her servant was indicating.

It was just what she needed.

"Prefect."

The general watched her for a moment longer. He had to know.

"Milady?"

"Hmm?"

"What is it you plan for the girl, once you have her? Is she to share her mother's fate? Or…"

He trailed off. He could think of no "or".

A knowing smirk crept onto the face of his mistress.

"You'll see."

And with that, she entered the trooper.

The general, knowing better than to press the matter any further, stepped back and allowed her to launch.

He couldn't help but be concerned for his mistress as she made her course.

After all, if she was right, and the girl was truly on earth, then she would undoubtedly have been training hard for the past fifteen years.

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"Booyah!"

And he was down.

"Oh come on Ella, that's cheating!"

"Not against the rules to win, King of the Dirt!"

Just then, the door opened.

"What on Earth are you two doing?"

The two teens jumped up quickly, not willing to continue their antics in the presence of the old lady.

There was silence for a moment.

The girl spoke up first.

"We were just practicing our sparing technique, Mrs. St John. Sorry if we bothered you."

"Neither one of you takes martial arts."

"Well, it's never too late to start, right Art?"

"Yeah, sure…"

The black eyes of the woman, Judith St John, looked back and forth between the two.

The girl, Ella Anderson, had long black hear and strange, bright green eyes. She was fairly tall for 16, but still shorter than her friend. She tended to dress practically, in jeans and tight T-shirts of various colors, and was almost always in some sort of trouble. But her charming tongue and sweet disposition got her out of most everything.

Standing next too Ella, rubbing the back of his neck and looking very embarrassed, was her best friend, Arthur St John. Art was just slightly taller than Ella, and had blonde hair and cobalt blue eyes. Oddly, he looked nothing like his grandmother, or any other member of his family, not that anyone cared about that. He was really no more than an awkward teenaged boy; but Ella caused enough trouble for the both of them.

Judith sighed. She should have just left it alone in the first place. But that was a lesson that she had yet to learn.

**Come back and see what happens next! And please review, it lets me know that you actually want me to keep writing. And if you don't, well then review anyway, I don't like being kept in the dark. **

**Later, **

**AJ**


	2. Uncle Vic's Shop

**Hello. For those of you who are new to this fic, welcome. For everyone else, welcome back.**

**Disclaimer: **_Go away mummy lawyers! I already said that they aren't mine! _

Chapter 1: Uncle Vic's Shop

"Dude, your grandma really needs to chill. I mean, we were just goofing around! Nothing to freak out about."

"Man I think you hurt my neck."

"I'm a girl."

"Yeah, I'd noticed."

"How does that feel by the way, losing to a girl?"

"You cheated!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Stop fighting like little kids and get back to work!"

The last shout came from Judith, who was overseeing the two as they washed the night's dishes. This was their punishment for fighting in the house. They had to wash all the dishes from dinner every night until they paid for whatever was broken. Fortunately, they had only broken an old woman's siesta this time. Sometimes they would be washing for three days straight.

Judith had often thought that this could be prevented if the girl's uncle would just sign her up for a decant etiquette class, as had often been suggested. Then she might be helping to set the table when she came over, rather than wrestling around with Judith's grandson.

"Are you planning on being here tomorrow, dear?"

Even if she disapproved of the girl's behavior, it was in her blood to be polite. That, and she'd need to hide all the breakable objects in the house.

"Nah, I promised my uncle I'd help him out at work."

"In…in the auto shop?"

Maybe there was a reason the girl was so uncouth.

"Yeah…and speaking of Vic, I gotta get home, I'm way late. Later Art; see you Mrs. St J!"

And with that, she was out the door.

Judith looked at the door, and then at her grandson.

He was watching the door as well, but with a very different expression.

Honestly, what did he see in her?

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****

"Hey all, I'm home!"

Victor Stone glanced up at the girl who had just walked in the door of his apartment. He was a large man, around seven feet tall. His bald, brown head shined with an odd, metallic quality; and on his right hand he wore a single blue ring.

"You're late, Princess."

His charge flopped down on the sofa.

"We woke the old lady up. She can be _way_ too uptight sometimes."

"Well maybe if you would stop wrestling on her rug…"

"It's not _my _fault it's the only clear mat in the entire house!"

Vic gave up. "Whatever you say Princess. Whatever you say."

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that? I'm not a little kid anymore, you know. And I'm pretty sure I'm no princess. I mean, how boring would that be! Always having to dress up and act sweet. Being me is _way_ more interesting."

"Who ever said you couldn't be both?"

"Yeah, like any self respecting royal family would want me anyway."

Vic just laughed. "You'd be surprised."

Ella just rolled her eyes at him. It was an old argument. Just a fun old argument. It didn't make any difference.

Right?

She shook her head. Every time they came on this subject, she couldn't help but get the feeling that there was something Vic wasn't telling her. But of course that was ridicules. Wasn't it?

She shook her head again, trying to clear it of silly thoughts. It didn't matter anyway. She was just a little tired.

"I'm just gonna head for bed. Gotta be up bright and early tomorrow if we want to get started on Mr. Carol's old junk pile."

Vic laughed. "All right then. Goodnight."

She headed toward her room.

"Princess."

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****

Across the street, a figure watched the windows of the building.

Long black hair hung over a serious face, eyes covered by a black, V-shaped mask. His strong form was covered by a tight, black costume. On his chest was adorned a large, blue bird.

He had been on the rooftop of the building for a while, making sure the girl got home. Now he just sat, staring at the apartment complex across the street like if he looked away it might disappear.

"You know, you can keep spying forever; the woman is never going to come."

He jumped and spun around, ready to defend himself if need be.

"Oh, Andie, it's just you."

Andreal'i floated before him, her white hair in a long braid down her back. Her feet floated ever so slightly above the ground, which was why he hadn't heard her coming. Her peridot eyes smirked at him, proud to have caught such a warrior, who was normally so aware, off guard.

"It is said that a watched pot never boils."

"That's what I'm hoping for."

"She will not come here."

"We don't know that."

"She has already searched here. She will not come again."

"I'm not taking any chances."

"You are about as much fun as an overprotective mother."

"Don't I have a right to be?"

Andie sighed, becoming impatient.

"Wing, even if she did come back, she would wait by the Tower, and why would the girl go there? She knows that she is not allowed."

"And that's exactly why she probably _will_ go there!"

Andie could hardly argue with this. In the years they had been watching her, the girl had proven herself to be a bit foolish, and more than a little rebellious.

Not unlike her late mother, thought Andie, smiling slightly.

She turned back to her brother-in-law.

"She is safe for the night. Do you not trust your friend to keep her so? It is time to sleep."

Wing nodded and followed her inside. He could trust Victor to protect her for tonight, as he had every night for the past fifteen years.

Nobody noticed a small trooper ship landing in the bay before cloaking itself.

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****

Charles Carol stepped out of his rental and looked around. He was in a small alley to the side of Main Street. Everything was pretty much calm, unless of course you counted on the loud crashes and curses coming from the building next to him.

_Uncle Vic's Autoshop_ was a regular place for the old man, partially because of his extremely bad luck with cars, but mostly because of the friendly people there. In particular, he rather enjoyed watching the founder's young niece, who enjoyed listening to Mr. Carol's stories of the city before she was born. She loved hearing about the old shops and all the former occupants; but what interested her most seemed to be the origin of the great Tower on the small island in the bay.

It was an odd structure for sure. He himself had often wondered how it managed to stand, as it seemed it would be somewhat top-heavy. You know, being a giant T and all. But that wasn't what she cared about. What she wanted to know about was the people who once occupied the magnificent building. The Titans.

Her uncle did not like her hearing these stories, for some reason. But he was normally too hard at work on a car or with a customer to listen to their conversations, so Ella just pretended to be completely ignorant whenever he came around. It had become their little game.

When Charlie entered the shop, he immediately began to grin. For out of the hood of his old, rusted up, screaming metal death trap were currently hanging a pair of stained, torn jeans and black boots.

"Well, hello Miss Ella."

The girl quickly straitened up, letting out a particularly loud curse as her head hit the hood of the car.

"#$!"

"Now, where on earth did you pick up language like that?"

His question was immediately answered as an identical curse came from across the shop, in a much deeper voice.

"#$!"

Charlie shook his head. Typical.

"Good to see you Charlie," Ella interrupted his brooding on where Vic had learned that particular word, "Good to see yah!"

"Wonderful to see you too, dear. Now, how's the old suicide machine looking?"

"Same as the last time you visited."

"Hmm… better than I expected."

"Ditto."

"Now, where did we leave off last time?"

Ella's face lit up. This was why she came to this shop every Saturday, when all the other girls her age went to the mall. This was why she kept breaking her back working on the hopeless cases he kept giving her. This was why she struggled through every week in anticipation of the weekend when she had to work. All for Charlie's stories.

"You were telling me about the Transformation."

"Ah yes, so the now ugly little alien girl wandered alone into the vast loneliness of outer space…"

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****

Victor Stone grumbled over the mess he had to work with. Was it so hard to ride a motorcycle properly?

He'd just finished his last car job was in the back room, where he helped the clients that no one was to know about. This was the only place in the shop where not even Ella was allowed. Not that he'd tell her that, then she'd come in for sure. No, he just made sure she didn't notice it was there. This was where he helped his oldest friends.

"How's she doing?"

Speak of the devil.

"Oh, she'll be alright. She just needs a little elbow grease. And maybe a more currently licensed driver."

"Not that one."

Vic looked over at his friend.

The man's long, black hair was tied in back, away from his face. His ice blue eyes held an entirely serious tone, as did the rest of his features.

"The other one."

"Then maybe you should ask her yourself," Vic answered, starting to reach for the door.

The man shook his head.

"No."

Vic allowed his hand to drop. "You know you're gonna have to talk to her someday, Dick."

"Not until it's safe."

"She's starting to wonder. She's past the age when I could use a new toy to distract her when she asks. She's an awful lot like you. Sooner or later, she's gonna figure it out, and you're gonna have to explain it to her."

"She'll know when it's safe, and not a second before."

Vic just shook his head. There was no reasonable argument that would work, and he knew it.

"I'll have the bike ready by tomorrow."

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****

"And they all went home and were happy. That is, until Beast Boy got the chicken pox."

Ella giggled. The mental picture was always fun to go through.

"Nice."

"Yes… Indeed. The town was certainly more interesting when they were around."

"Whatever happened to them?"

"Well, to tell you the truth I'm not really sure. No one is."

"What?"

"They just, well, disappeared. No one ever went to look for a reason."

"Why? I mean, after all that time, why wouldn't anybody want to know?"

"Oh, my dear. It's not that no one wanted to know; we all wondered; but no one could ever get in."

"Into where, exactly?"

"Why, the only place that would provide any answers. Titan's Tower."

Ella looked over her shoulder, out the window. It was the only window in the shop, and it looked toward the bay. Toward the Tower.

"Yes, that's the one."

Ella jerked her head back to where her friend sat, smiling.

"Charlie, do you know why Vic doesn't like you telling me those stories?"

"My dear, I can honestly say I haven't a clue."

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"See yah, Mr. Carol!"

It was lunchtime, and also time for Charlie to head home. Their conversation on the Tower had been cut short when Vic had emerged from the back room, and they had been forced to turn to less controversial topics.

As far as Ella was concerned, he'd never be the wiser.

She had work to do anyway.

But even as she worked, Vic noted, her eyes could always be caught wandering toward the window.

Toward the Tower.

**So there's the first actual chapter for yah. It's longer than anything I've ever written, but I wanted to cover a lot of ground with this one. Now will somebody please review already! I really don't like being kept in the dark about what you guys think.**

**Wisdom from the Past: **_Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. _

_-Mark Twain_


	3. The Tower

**Hey all. Good to have you with us. I'd like to thank my first reviewer for her very helpful input. I will try not to disappoint.**

**Disclaimer: **_Well, the mummy lawyers are gone, as King Henry requested, (yes, that was a Shakespeare joke; and yes, I know I'm a dork) but they still aren't mine. _

Chapter 2: The Tower 

Even after so many years, the building was still such an incredible structure. The great, glass panels nearly covered its entirety, making it beautiful. Yet the strong holdings made the place imposing, even after all these years it had spent without its still more amazing former occupants. No one had ever dared to approach it, and no one had ever dared to try and find some evidence of the strange persons whom had created it.

That is, until tonight.

"Oh, come _on_ Art! Don't be such a baby!"

Art looked up at his friend in complete and total disbelief.

"You drag me out here in the middle of the night to rent a boat and go chasing after some fairy tale you heard from some old geezer, and you're the one calling _me_ a baby?"

"It's not a fairy tale Art! These were real people. What, you're not the slightest bit interested?"

Art continued to stare at his friend. She was standing with one foot already in the small, unsafe looking rowboat, ready to cross the bay to attempt a brake-into an allegedly haunted house, and she was looking at him like he was the crazy one.

"To tell you the truth Ella, I'm really more interested in that Bio test tomorrow, which I know for a fact _you_ aren't ready for. Now why don't you get out of that wooden death trap right now and we can go cram 'til it's time to catch the bus."

And then he turned around. He knew that if he kept looking in her direction, it was like it always was. She'd flip her raven-black hair back and give him that _look_, the one that so clearly said, "You're going to come with me, and you're going to have some fun, even if I have to drag you by your abnormally large ears into the scene." Then he'd continue trying to argue, and she'd continue giving him that _look_, and he'd finally cave, only to realize that he should have just walked away when his grandmother was starting to scream at the both of them. But not this time. No, this time he was going to look the other way until she finally got bored and gave in.

"I don't care about Bio! When are we ever gonna use that anyway? Look, I'm going, with or without you."

"Then you'll just have to go without me, 'cause I'm not setting foot on that thing."

Art smirked. He knew he'd won this time. Ella despised being alone. She had never once gone off on any one of her schemes without an accomplice. And he wasn't going to budge, not this time. Soon she'd just forget this insane idea and go back to caring about normal stuff, like tests and chores.

But then he heard her sigh.

"Fine."

Arthur blinked. Surely he had heard wrong.

"Huh?"

"I said fine. I'll go without you."

Art stared at her. She was dead serious.

"Ella…"

The girl cut him off.

"Art, I really don't care if you want me to go or not. I really don't care if I have to go alone or not. I just have to do this."

He was missing something; he had to be.

"Ella, why?"

She looked at him.

"I donno. I just do."

**-----**

From within a small fishing boat just a little off shore, the silent figure of a woman watched the strange exchange between the two friends. Her cruel, slanted black eyes surveyed the scene; completely aware of everything that was happening. The night was bright enough to see, but that didn't mean that there were no dangers to her mission. The target might yet change her mind.

But then again, no. She was far too much like her father. She wouldn't rest until she had the answers she sought.

The woman smirked, the expression looking all too natural on her tan skinned face. After all, what was she here for, if not to give the girl the answers to her questions?

The woman brushed her pitch-colored hair out of her eyes in order to better see the scene across the bay. The two had separated, and the target was now rowing across to the Tower, alone.

Kormand'r, Empress of the Great Crusade of the Known Galaxies, Mistress of Chaos, Ruler of the Farthest Reaches, slipped out of her raincoat and began to make her way to the Tower. Time to get what she came for.

**-----**

Ella hated being alone.

She'd never gotten into anything like this without Art or Vic or somebody at her side; but she had to do this.

Why she had to, she wasn't entirely sure. But she knew she did.

The only way she could accurately explain the sensation, even to herself, was with a memory from something that happened when she was very small. She had been in the middle of a tug-a-war over an old toy with Art when everything had gone black. A lamp had fallen from the shelf above her and hit her on the head. When she woke up, she couldn't remember everything right away, but the toy they had been fighting over was still in her hand. She had immediately started to pull again. She had still been dazed, and unable to remember what it was she was fighting for, but she had known that it must be something important to her, so she began to pull.

That was how she felt now; like in spite of the fact that she had no clue why she was doing what she was doing, something inside of her was begging her to do it; like there was something that must be important to her that she needed to get, even though she didn't know what it was; like she still needed to fight, even if she'd forgotten what it was she was fighting for.

So she'd gotten in the boat and began to row across the bay without Art or Vic or anyone else at her side.

There was a leak in the boat; the bottoms of her overalls were getting soaked. It'd be hard to walk when she got to shore, but she didn't care. The tower was getting closer.

**-----**

He should have known this was coming.

"The boy just left the shore. I've lost visual of her, but I think she took the old boat."

Andie's voice was more than a little worried as she reported what she was seeing from her position near the bay.

She'd told him not to worry. She'd said that the girl would just forget about it and move on to other things, like she had before. She'd been wrong.

This was what he'd been waiting for, what he'd been so worried would happen.

"Do you want me to move in Wing?"

If the girl was caught, there could be trouble. Big trouble. And that was if she was caught by the Jump police. But at least then she could worm a way out, after all, she was just a kid. But what if…

"WING!"

He forced his mind back to the transmition he was getting from Andie.

"Do you wand me to move in or not?"

It was time for something to happen. She was about to find the answers to so many questions, and what would he do then? Should he allow Andie to stop her, it would only delay the inevitable. But there was also a great amount of danger involved. Something or someone could hurt her if she went out alone as she was.

But it was still time.

"Head for your quarters. I'll go."

Andie nodded and the transmition was cut off.

He sighed. It was bound to happen. He couldn't stop it. So, he supposed, there was only one thing left to do.

**-----**

It was dark.

In her hurry to answer the pull she'd felt toward this place, she hadn't bothered to pick up a flashlight. Now she was heading blindly down a dark, abandoned hallway with no light source and no knowledge of where she was going.

Maybe Art had been right.

"No," she heard herself whisper out loud. She had to be here, even if it was dark.

Her hand slid along the dusty wall, guiding her. She kept going until she felt a door. It opened without her probing.

She continued to feel around, looking for something that might help her see. She tripped.

It was an old candle, caked with dust and half burned, but still unable. She found a box of matches only a few inches away.

As her eyes adjusted to the new, flickering light, she looked around her. She was in a very large room, with a very large, semi-circle couch and windows on either size. There was a rather small kitchen area in the corner, with old dirty plates still piled up in the sink. She remembered what Charlie said about teenaged meta-humans not being very neat, and almost laughed in spite of herself.

The place certainly wasn't very well kept. Bare wires hung from the ceiling, looking somewhat ominous. Several rusty metal parts littered various places. An old remote lay on the floor, almost unrecognizable through the cake of dust.

There was dust everywhere. It was caked on the walls, the floor, and every other object in sight. It had obviously been a while since there had been anyone in here.

Ella's eyes then fell on the window.

She almost stopped breathing. The view was incredible; she could see the entire city, it's lights illuminating her face. It occurred to her to wonder how she hadn't noticed them when there had been no other light, but shrugged it off as unimportant.

There was another door near the kitchen, and she was eager to see more. So, candle in hand, she headed out to see what other wonders this abandoned castle had to offer.

**-----**

"Arthur?"

…

"Arthur, are you in there?"

…

"Arthur St John!"

"Yeah Gram, I'm here."

_'But I shouldn't be'_

"Well then get to bed for goodness sake! You have school tomorrow!"

"Yeah, sure."

But he wasn't listening. His mind was preoccupied with other thoughts, most of them rallying around a certain raven-haired troublemaker.

'_You really shouldn't have left her.'_

'_What was I supposed to do, drag her by the ankles?!'_

'_She could have used your help.'_

'_There's no way I'm ever going anywhere near that place.'_

'_Now, don't tell me you believe in those silly ghost stories.'_

'_Of course not! The place just gives me an edgy feeling, that's all.'_

'_Like the one you got when Ella had you in the science lab with those frogs?'_

'_No. This was more like… like when that earthquake hit a couple years ago. I just got the feeling that if we went in there, something horrible would happen.'_

'_So you left Ella to walk into a place your instincts deemed dangerous all alone.' _

'_I didn't think she'd really go.'_

'_You think she thought you'd really stay?'_

Art sighed and flopped down on the bed. He could hardly believe he was having an argument with himself about what had just happened. He knew he shouldn't have gone in there, everything in him had been screaming against it, but what if something happened to her? What would he do then?

He sighed again and fell into an uneasy sleep.

**-----**

She looked around and decided that she must be in one of the bedrooms.

It was the neatest room she had entered so far, but just as abandoned. The bed was made, but it smelled distinctly of mildew. There were a series of yellowed newspaper clippings on the wall, all baring pictures of many strange sorts of people and creatures, including a man in an odd mask and something that resembled a very large, pussy zit she'd once had. There was a desk baring a neat stack of old papers, and a vanity with an assortment of perfumes and cosmetics.

Ella's eyes swept the room. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something in here just seemed out of place.

She finally saw it. There was a candle on the nightstand, still burning. Nothing else in the room or in any other part of the Tower had been touched in a very long time, the thick layers of dust everywhere answered to that, and yet the flame was still going strong, like it had only just been lit.

Her eyes fell just a little in front of the candle, on a small picture frame. Her heart stopped.

**-----**

The target was in the Tower, unaware that she was being followed. She had only looked out the window once, at which time Kormand'r had been forced to hide herself above the girl's line of sight. Elsewise she might have seen the unwanted intruder. 

She had been wandering around the place for a few hours now, why it had taken her so long to reach the room she needed to find was more then the woman would ever understand. But she was there now. She was looking at that useless candle, probably wondering who had lit it, the little human fool. Had her father taught her nothing?

Kormand'r shook the question off. It was none of her concern what the girl's parent had bothered to let her know about the universe. She had a job to do.

She began to feel around the glass for the familiar point at which to press.

**-----**

There were two people in the photograph, both equally strange. There was a man with neck length, jet-black hair, not unlike her own, and a simple black mask. He had one arm around a woman with long, fire-red hair, tan skin, and crystal green eyes. She was holding a small child, just a baby. The little one had a small growth of midnight black hanging in her eyes, which were the same green as her mother's. Around her wrist there was a strange birthmark: a chain of red fire.

Ella's head snapped down to her own wrist, to her own birthmark. It had been there as long as she could remember, like her eyes themselves.

Her crystal green eyes…

Her brain had shut down for the moment. She couldn't comprehend what might be going on. As soon as she could manage to form a coherent thought, a memory sprang up.

_She had been in the shop, working on another of Carol's insane investments, a fifty-year-old Harley Davidson that had never started to run. Charlie had been telling one of his stories, about where the Titans came from. _

"_Now some might take the wrong meaning to that, but I say if you were on a strange world and in shackles you'd feel like blowing up a few city blocks to, wouldn't yah?" _

_Ella had laughed at that. _

"_You liked that one, didn't you Charlie?"_

"_What was there not to like? The girl was a good fighter, and a good friend. It's a shame not to have her around anymore."_

_Charlie had then looked at her, a small smirk on his face. _

"_You know, now that I think of it, she was a lot like you, El." _

"_Don't even joke."_

"_No, I'm quite serious. Why, you even look like her. Now I hope I don't see you falling out of the sky all glowie any time soon."_

"_Please, like that could ever happen. There's nothing special about me." _

_That grin was back. _

"_You'd be surprised." _

"_Why do people keep saying that to me?"_

_Charlie had just continued to grin as he stood up and brushed himself off. _

"_I'll see you next week. Good luck with Alaster here." _

_That had exasperated Ella. For one thing, Charlie had never finished his story. For another, he hadn't answered her question. And of course there was the very idea of naming a motorcycle "Alaster". _

_But more than anything, there was the fact that he always gave her the impression that he knew more than he was willing to tell. _

Ella's eyes flicked back to the candle, yet another of Charlie's stories suddenly coming to mind.

"Ta And'r du X'al," she voiced the words carefully.

"Lovely, so you do have a brain after all. I was starting to worry."

Ella swung around to the source of the voice, coming face to face with the most dangerous person she'd ever met.

**Thank you for sitting through that. Does the fact that I'm typing more mean I'm getting better at this? I don't know I'm still new here. Please, please, _please_ Review. I only beg because that seems to be what it takes for a response. Thank you. **


	4. Aunt Black

**First, I'd like to once again thank my one reviewer for giving her input; it's good to know that at least one person seems to be enjoying this. Second, for those of you who are new readers (like I had any old readers): Welcome! And now, on with the show.**

**Disclaimer: **_The mummy layers have returned, so I will say that they are not mine. Although, I am still a dork. _

Chapter 3: Aunt Black

The woman standing before Ella had slanted black eyes and long black hair. She was tall, or at least she appeared that way to the girl before her. There was an arrogant air about her, only amplified by the smug expression on her face and the slurred drawl of in her voice.

She spoke again, "What is it dear? That wasn't just a momentary leap in intelligence I just witnessed, was it?"

Ella couldn't find it in her to retort. Her mind had crashed again.

"Because if it was, then I'm afraid I might just be wasting my time here, and my time is very limited, so you understand that I would want to be sure."

She finally finished rebutting. She wasn't completely sure what, but there was something about this woman she didn't like, something dangerous. In an instant, the candle she'd been using found its way between her and the threat.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, so you _can_ speak," the woman looked at the candle and grinned, "Now, put that thing away before you hurt yourself."

Ella shoved the flame closer to the woman, "What do you want?"

A light, but confident laughter filled the room.

"Please, you wouldn't hurt you're dear old aunt, would you?"

Ella blinked, "My… my what?"

-----

There it was, his old home. It stood tall, just as he remembered. It had always been a place of freedom, where he had had friends. It had always been a warm bed to come home to at night. But not anymore, and especially not tonight. She was in trouble, and he had to help.

He hadn't called Vic yet; there was no need to involve him in this. He would be informed after the danger had passed. After all, he was only her guardian until the time came.

And the time had come.

Nightwing stared out across the lake at his once-haven. She would be in there now, searching for the answers to her questions. She didn't know that all she would find were more questions.

He sighed. It was time. He prepared to cross the lake to the Tower, to her.

-----

"My… my what?"

The woman laughed again, "Your aunt of course! Why, didn't your father ever teach you anything?"

"My father?"

"Oh, yes, I forget. He left you with that grease-monkey friend of his, didn't he? Vincent, was it?"

"Victor. And I think you have the wrong girl," Ella sounded almost regretful as she said this, "Both my parents are dead."

"That's what your uncle told you."

Ella frowned. It wasn't. Whenever she had asked her uncle about her parents, he had quickly brushed off the question with a new job or an excuse about having to be someplace. He had never actually told her about her family, who they were or what they were like. She had assumed it to be a sensitive subject; he had been their friend, after all.

She shook her head. She needed to focus on the problem at hand. She could worry about Vic later.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled, "Name's Black. You can call me that, or just call me Aunt if you like, it really doesn't matter."

"Why are you here?"

"This was the home of my late sister. I came to procure a certain item of her's that I need for a little project I'm working on."

And so it was that Ella was once again led to her original question, "What do you want?"

Black grinned, "I think that question would better be directed at you. I wonder, my dear niece, what are you doing here?"

"I…" Ella trailed off. She actually didn't know why she was here.

"Now I don't mean to seem harsh, but if your father knew you were here…"

So they were back to that.

"I told you, my dad's dead."

"And now I'm telling you otherwise. This was once his room, was it not? Were he dead, the candle would not be burning."

"You must have the wrong girl. My parents couldn't have lived here. This place was for the Titans."

"And?"

Ella stopped. Her mind began to process where this was going. Her eyes drifted back to the picture on the nightstand. Could it be? Nothing was impossible. Except…

"There's nothing special about me."

Black looked shocked at this statement, "What do you mean girl? You've been marked!" Her eyes were one the fiery birthmark wrapped around Ella's wrist. It almost seemed to glow in the candlelight.

'_Huh?'_ But as Ella opened her mouth to respond to this, there was a cry from the great window, and the glass shattered.

-----

Wing had been scaling the outside of the Tower for a while now, and found nothing. Maybe she had turned back while he was on his way here? He certainly hoped so. It was a false hope, he knew. She would never turn back, and after tonight, she'd never be able to.

It was time.

Finally, he reached the place he was most loathed to look. If she was in there, then he'd have and awful lot of explaining to do. But then again, he owed her an explanation whether or not she had reached that room.

He looked in the oversized window, and there she was. But she wasn't alone.

As his eyes fell on the woman standing before Ella, he felt his heart stop. It was _her_. Fear and rage took his mind in a death grip, causing it to race. What was she going to do? What was she going to tell her? What if…

He forced himself to stop. No, he had to do something. It was his place to intervene.

There was no time to search for the pressure point he knew must be there; he had to act now.

"_Argh!!_"

**Yeah, I finished it. Anywho, could you all try and review? This is just depressing. **

**AJ**


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